


god i hope you're satisfied

by roseqvartx (shezzafied)



Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: College AU, M/M, Modern AU, albino!hamilton, because why not, lam, this is pg for now but just you wait
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-10
Updated: 2016-01-10
Packaged: 2018-05-13 01:48:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5689939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shezzafied/pseuds/roseqvartx
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College student Alexander Hamilton has just moved here from the West Indies, looking for a fresh start. His roommate is struggling with internal dilemmas.</p>
            </blockquote>





	god i hope you're satisfied

**Author's Note:**

> Okay hey so, I thought it would be super interesting to have an albino character and they're not really thought about much. Or represented in media. So there. If anything is offensive/inaccurate please let me know and I'll change it. I spent a lot of time looking things up so that I could be as accurate as possible. I'll try to update sort of regularly.

Alex stepped into his dorm room, and gave the small area an analytic scan. Someone else already had their stuff pulled out of their suitcase, bed made and a styrofoam container of leftovers was sitting on the desk. Alexander was used to small living spaces and sharing a room, but he had really expected a bit more from such an expensive, American college. He wanted a fresh start, and this dorm would do well enough for that. His only concern so far would be his roommate, which he hadn’t actually spent much time thinking about until now.

Would he be a conservative? Biased? Rich, poor? He didn’t know what to expect from this person, but he had a feeling it would go either really well or really terribly, with little room for an in-between. Alex had a lot of reasons to be judged, persecuted. He was a black albino, from a tiny country in the West Indies. He’d been called names his whole life, called a ghost, a freak, asked to predict the future, or do magic. Although it was worse in his childhood, he tended to be less warm towards new people until he was sure they weren't going to judge him based on his looks. It was ridiculous to him that the majority of the inconveniences from his condition were caused by others. He had contacts that he couldn’t see without, spent a lot of money on sunscreen, but aside from that, it was the lies spread about his condition that gave him the most problems.

He was an orphan. His father abandoned his mother, calling her a whore and a cheat, because, it didn’t make sense for a black man and a biracial women to create a porcelain white baby, right? His mother died when he was young, leaving him homeless, and he was taken care of by the church, his teachers, his community. He got a job and balanced it out with his schoolwork in such an impressive manner that his school raised money to send him to college. Now he was here, and he would do anything to make a name for himself. America was a brand new start for him, and he was going to show his true colors, to break out of the silence he was forced into in Saint Kitts.

He wanted to be open about his sexuality. He knew that America was a more understanding place. He could marry a man here legally. He could kiss boys, he could get a crush on a boy and not worry about keeping it secret. He supposed it would have been more difficult for him to hide if he was gay, but instead he was bisexual, so he could hide his identity and stay on good terms with the church and his country. In Saint Kitts, homosexual relations were not only frowned upon, but they were also illegal.

He began to unpack his boxes as he considered the plan of action here. Test the waters. See where everything led, and try to keep your mouth shut for a little while. He didn’t know his roommate or his beliefs, and what if he was like the people in the West Indies? If he was homophobic, what could he possibly do to him? He didn’t want any disputes to ruin his chances for success.

All of his belongings were new or gently used items that were donated to him. He’d never had to worry about things like comforters and pillowcases before now. He lived in a home, with a small, hard mattress his entire life. He would make his bed proudly, and he would never take for granted the new things he had. He was making the bed when the door opened up. He looked up from what he was doing, and he saw his roommate staring at him, keycard in his hand, a frightened look on his face. His heart groaned.

He was adorable. Deep tan skin, curly black hair, a built body… but the look on his face. He could already tell this was going badly. He was scared of him, because he was a freak. He was white as a bedsheet. Puky skin and dark contacts, and he was in his room. He was about to introduce himself, explain who and what he was when the kid at the door spoke up. His voice was slow-paced, and inviting. It contrasted with his initial facial expression. His tone softened as he spoke. “Oh, hi! Are you my new roommate?”

Alexander stared at him in confusion. He was hard to read. Alex let go of the comforter and he chose his words. “I’m Alexander Hamilton,” he said. His accent was apparent no matter what he tried. “I’m your roommate, yes.” There was an awkward pause as the two looked to each other, and then away quickly. Alex stepped in. “I’m albino,” he explained. “And no, it’s not contagious, I can’t read minds, I don’t know your future and I’m not a witch.”

His face was growing red, which was incredibly obvious to anyone around him. His turned into a little tomato at the slightest emotion. Luckily, his roommate interjected before he needed to continue.

“Oh, I never thought any of that! I was just confused that there was somebody in here… I’m John Laurens,” he moved out of the doorway and let the door shut behind him as he extended his hand out to him. Alexander got up and shook it. As he got closer, he noticed the boy had freckles.

He internally sighed when he cleared this up for him. There was hope, afterall. He sat back down on his bed and began unpacking another box, while John sat his key down on the desk and swapped it for the chinese food sitting on the counter. As he ate, he tried to make conversation. “So what’s your major?”

Alexander was throwing bottles of shampoo down on his bed as he spoke. He was glad this guy was attempting to make conversation. He was starting slowly, but so far he had no reason to be afraid or distrusting of him. “Political science, minor in economics and finance, you?”

Alexander could make out his roommates face lighting up from the other side of the room. “I’m PoliSci with a minor in journalism! I bet we’ll have a few classes together!”

He wasn’t sure how to feel about that yet. He needed to get to the real questions on his mind if he was to form a solid opinion of him. “I suppose we’ll be seeing each other a lot, then? We should probably get to know each other better. If you’re political science, what are your beliefs?”

John was quiet for a moment. It physically pained Alexander to wait for his response. He wanted to know how this year would pan out. He wanted to know if he’d be able to talk openly with this guy or if he would stay quiet. His response wasn’t really to his satisfaction.

“I suppose I’m a liberal,” he said eventually. “But… I really don’t want to align with a party right now. There’s a lot of tension politically.” His voice was quiet, and it seemed like he wasn’t telling the full truth. Alexander would need to force the subject.

“Well, you have beliefs, don’t you? What do you think about racial inequality? The wage gap? Queer rights? Immigration?”

The boy looked up at him. “I don’t really want to start problems,” he said. “Maybe we should stay quiet about it.”

Hamilton wasn’t happy with this answer, and his lack of filter was going to get the better of him. “I’m a liberal, we must share similar beliefs. Why can’t you just tell me what you think?”

John was becoming a bit frustrated at this point, and it was apparent to Alex. “We probably do share the same beliefs, I just… I don’t want others to know about them, okay? My family is really conservative.”

Hamilton understood. Suddenly he felt a bit ashamed for lashing out like that. This was something he knew all too well about. Alex had had to keep quiet about his beliefs while in Saint Kitts, to survive and keeps his allies. This boy must be in a similar situation. Part of him wanted to apologize for being so demanding about the whole ordeal, but the other part of him really just wanted his new roommate to be straight with him. “You don’t have to hide it from me, I can keep a secret.”

He took a deep breath, a rant forming in his brain and making it’s way out of his mouth. “I’m an albino, I lived my entire life in the hands of the church and I hid the fact that I was a liberal my whole life. I don’t even believe half the things the church said about God, let alone politics! I hid that I was bisexual from the entire community. For 18 years! And I know what this is like! I have been dealing with all of this for a long time, and I know how badly I’ve always wanted to vent to others! So if you have something to say, say it, and I can keep your secret. I, of all people, know how important that is.”

John was quiet. Hamilton squinted his eyes at him, trying to make out his facial expression. He was looking down. Hamilton waited patiently for a response, looking at him intently and determined not to say a single word until he explained what he was thinking.

“I didn’t know you were queer,” was his eventual response.

Hamilton shook his head and returned to unpacking. He didn’t think that was even worth a response. What did it even mean? Was he a homophobe? If so, to what extent? Was it the “all gays should die” type of homophobia? Was it more, “yeah, they can marry or whatever but they still make me uncomfortable when I’m around them” homophobia? Or maybe he was just in general surprised that he was queer. Although he didn’t see why that would be surprising. He thought that America was an inviting country, where you could be open about your sexuality and only have to fear discrimination from the super religious.

At this point, he had no idea what to expect. Eventually the silence ended. And it wasn’t Alexander that opened his mouth this time. “It’s alright that you’re bisexual. Sorry if it seemed like I was being rude about it.”

Alex looked at him. Every time he spoke, he became more and more confused. He was a liberal. He wasn’t homophobic? He should be excited about this, but, this boy was being so obscure about it all that he wasn’t sure what was real and what wasn’t. He wanted to believe him but his reaction had been too strange.

“No no, it’s all good.” Pause. “You’re actually the first person I’ve told this to.”

Alexander couldn’t see his face clearly and it was annoying him. He wanted to know how he was reacting to this conversation so that he could tell if he was hiding anything or lying. He was going mostly on his words and it wasn’t enough to get to know him. He squinted more.

“Oh!” John responded. “Were you planning on coming out?”

“Hey, is it alright if I sat closer to you? I really can’t see well,” he said, completely changing the subject.

“Oh, yes! Sorry! I think I remember reading somewhere about albino people having problems with their eyesight, but I didn’t really think about that.”

Alexander got up and sat at the other end of his bed. Even from this far away, he could smell his body wash. It was definitely more expensive than anything he was ever used to. Actually, everything about him seemed more expensive than what he was used to. He realized this guy was probably from money. It made sense. He had said his father was conservative.

Alex brought the subject back to politics. “I do want to come out. I think I can, safely here. But what do you think about gay rights? I want to know where you stand.”

There was another hesitation. Eye contact. John had looked him in the eyes briefly, and then turned away again as he began to speak.

His voice came out quietly. “I suppose I think there’s really not enough…” he paused as he looked back up at Alex. More eye contact. Why was he making so much eye contact? Then, his voice got more solid. “There’s not enough done in this country to protect their rights. There are still people here trying to deny us the right to marry, or get jobs, or even do something as simple as eating at a restaurant! I want that to change!”

He must not have even noticed the slip up, but Alex had and there was no way that it could have possibly been a simple misspoken word. It might not prove anything, but he said us. People are trying to deny _us_ the right to marry. He wouldn’t mention it. But the secret was out. And it was reassuring. He grinned, and extended his arm out for another handshake.

“It’s a pleasure to _really_ meet you, John Laurens,” he said.


End file.
